Victor Orta hails Leeds United 'special case' after stunning Premier League campaign

The Brazilian wide man arrived in West Yorkshire last summer as part of a near £100m spending spree in LS11 following promotion.

Raphinha was a late addition on deadline day and cost just £17m from Ligue 1 outfit Stade Rennes.

The 24-year-old dazzled and delighted for the Whites under head coach Marcelo Bielsa’s watch this term, scoring six goals and bagging nine assists in 30 Premier League outings.

Leeds earned an impressive ninth-place finish with his help during their first top-flight campaign for 16 years.

United broke their transfer record for Rodrigo while Germany international Robin Koch and Spain international Diego Llorente also joined the Thorp Arch ranks.

Raphinha, though, has been seen as the signing of the season - and not just at Leeds, but across the Premier League too.

“Raphinha is a special case,” Orta told One Football over the Brazilian. “He has been brilliant from the moment he touched this club.

“But it wasn’t easy because he arrived in the last few days of the transfer window, really nervous and, honestly, he didn’t have a lot of time to decide.

“We saw an opportunity late on and gambled – just like he did with us – and, hopefully, this is the beginning of something beautiful.

“Rodrigo Moreno – you can imagine the market for him in Spain, where he has played his whole life.

“To come to England is a big change but he believed in our project. There were some hard moments, which is normal.

“But ,when you watch him, his quality is clear – this is the type of player you want at your club.

“I also want to highlight Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, who we are also really happy with and I’m sure will be great again next season, with a smoother adaptation period and injuries behind them.”